In recent years, the processing and communication capabilities of mobile stations (and other mobile communication devices) have expanded and thereby enabled mobile stations to communicate using multiple different types of transceivers, networks, and protocols. Mobile stations are no longer just capable of mobile wireless communications through mobile communication networks. Recently, at least some mobile stations have also been configured for direct communication with other properly equipped mobile stations and devices using near field communication (NFC) technology.
The improvements in mobile stations' processing and communication capabilities have led the stations to increasingly be used to retrieve, access, create, and transmit content. In particular, content is increasingly being shared between mobile stations. The content is generally shared from one mobile station with a particular other mobile station, or with a group of mobile stations. The sharing of content between mobile stations, however, is predominantly done indirectly through the mobile communication network using email and web-based sharing.
NFC technology can be used by two mobile stations to communicate directly with each other, and to share content with each other. NFC technology, however, has a very limited range which only enables a mobile station to communicate with another mobile station located in close proximity (e.g., within a few centimeters). As a result, when used to share content with other mobile stations, NFC technology may be limited to sharing content with a single other mobile station at a time. A need therefore exists for systems and methods for enabling group sharing of content to multiple mobile stations using near field communications.